| Amateur
Radio |
Amazon.com |Biology | Books
|
Chemistry | Data
Sheets | Electronics
| Math | Microscope
| NASA-TV
| |
BIOLOGICAL
STAINS
Return
to www.101science.com home page.
STAIN | USE | SPECIMEN COLOR |
Acid Fuchsin | Stains collagen fibers red and smooth muscle in contrast to collagen. | Red/magenta/violet |
Congo Red | Used to stain amyloid. (A starchlike substance. A hard, waxy deposit consisting of protein and polysaccharides that results from the degeneration of tissue.) | Red |
Crystal Violet | The (positive) dye of choice in Grams stain. Bacteria | Blue violet |
Eosin B | Interchangeable with Eosin Y. Ionization acid (Color is red) | Bluish cast |
Eosin Y | Stains alkaline cell parts (like cytoplasm). Use on plants, animals and blood. | Pink |
Eosin Y ws | Common counterstain to alum hematoxylin and Eosin method. | Red |
Gram Stain | Positive
Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus -subtilis (crystal violet) Negative Neisseria, E. coli (Eosin Y ws) |
Dark
blue or purple Red |
Hematoxylin | Stains nuclear chromatin using aluminum mordant. Acid resistant nuclear staining, muscle striations and some glial fibers (The delicate network of branched cells and fibers that supports the tissue of the central nervous system) with ferric salts mordant. | Yellow/brown |
Iodine | Carbohydrates
in plant and animal specimens Glycogen (Animal starch.. A polysaccharide, (C6H10O5)n, that is the main form of carbohydrate storage in animals. |
Brown
or Blue-Black Red |
Mercurochrome | Marks tissue margins and faces for orientation. (Antiseptic) Similar to Eosin Y ws. | Red |
Methyl blue | Stains collagen and connective tissue. | Blue |
Methylene blue | Acidic cell parts (Use on animal, bacteria and blood specimens. | Blue |
Saffron | Colors connective tissue yellow in contrast to the pink cytoplasm given by phyloxine. | Yellow orange |
Safranin O | Commonly used for counterstaining nuclei red. Cartilage is stained yellowish. | Red |
Toluidene blue | Stains acidic cell parts (like nucleus). Good to show mitosis in plant cells. MITOSIS = The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in two new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental chromosomes. Also called karyokinesis. | Dark Blue |